Happy Thanksgiving

Christmas Cards~ For Free!

I am one of the few people I know who mail out Christmas cards each year. After having a child, I found it even more important to and special to share a little about our year with our friends and family. I have typically found it less expensive to throw a 3x5 into a cheap card with a short letter than to buy a fancy photo card. But then you have to actually sign each card. Not that big of a deal, but it does sort of start to feel insincere writing the same well wishes in each.

Enter the Shutterfly photocard. And getting 50 for free!

Shove 'em into the envelope and slap a stamp on those babies and you're set!

I found their small, but very nice selection of 'religious' cards and saw a few that are on the top of my list.

love that scripture, I can hear Handel's Messiah playing in my mind

Cute and trendy with the non traditional colors, and I like that you can use more than one photo, total bonus!

Every good gift most certainly does come from the Father!

Do you send out Christmas cards? How do you decide who makes the cut?

Crafting Guide

I am having my second craft night this coming Saturday evening so I thought I would compile a list of some tutorials and ideas to share, along with some of the projects I am planning to make

Sew, Mama, Sew hosts a Handmade Holidays annual event. Each day is dedicated to a particular recipient, like gifts for babies, students, foodies, travelers, on and on. You can also look through the past 3 years for ideas.

Skip to my Lou has lots of great ideas including a compilation of 10 Free Apron Patterns and 10 Free Tote Bag Patterns.

Moda Bake Shop is always full of great quilt project ideas, but this post for 8 Fun Projects lists some other great ideas for those who don't quilt.

Looking for Felt Food? I drool every time I look at Homemade by Jill's awesome list of tutes all over the web. If you are feeling particularly brave, you could also make her incredible car play mat. I really want to try my hand at one, perhaps next year.

What am I going to make?

For starters, I made some bean bags for a girlfriends 4 year old.

And I'm making a new quilt, but I can only show you some scraps for now.

What's left on my list?

Hooded Bath Towels- does it get any easier than this? You could appliqué an initial or animal or some-such on the back to personalize it a bit.

This Gathered Clutch has been on my list for ages, I hope to whip one or two up for gifts this year.

I also came across this cute Suit Coat Clutch so if I can get my hands on a suit, I'd like to make one as well.

Those are at the top of the list for now.

What's on your list?

RePurpose

This blanket came to us all the way from Turkey. My friend who sent it to us said that the locals traditionally eat on the floor and will use a blanket like this beneath them. They might also use it on picnics, eating outdoors. At our house however, it has officially become the Lego blanket.

Daniel got a big bin of Mega Blocks for Christmas last year and even has a small bag of Lego Duplos. He has enjoyed them both and it has been so neat to watch the ways he plays with them evolve.

A few weeks ago we received a Lego magazine catalog in the mail. Daniel sat at the table and studied it. He sat on the couch and studied it. He rescued it from the book basket to place it prominently on the ottoman.

And then he asked Daddy "Lego, Daddy, Lego!" So Tommy took him to play with the Mega Blocks.

"Lego, Daddy, Lego!" So Tommy got down the Duplos.

"Lego, Daddy, Lego!" Then Tommy beamed with pride as he opened the Lego closet (our guest room closed has generously donated itself to the housing of thousands of dollars worth of Legos found on craigslist and at garage sales).

All his hopes and dreams as a father have been fulfilled. Okay, maybe not all of them, but I think he's pretty pleased for now.

The Lego blanket lends itself to easy clean up and restricting Legos to special father-son time means I'm not stuck corralling them onto the blanket five times a day.

Note To...

HOBBY LOBBY

Thank you for including Jesus in the Christmas season.

To show my appreciation, I will buy my Christmas supplies (when at all possible) exclusively at your store. Seeing as how I have twice the square feet to decorate and a roof-line to light this should please you. But I am still frugal and shop sales, so don't get too excited.

Hobby Lobby does not necessarily carry this figure, I just like it.

My Halloween Knight

For Halloween last week Daniel was a knight. A very handsome knight. One too busy putting his armor on to have the ketchup wiped off his face and mustard off his pants.

We made his costume from Dollar Tree parts. It was $6 all together. Thanks Dollar Tree.

LOVE him :)

Tommy said that whenever given the chance, Daniel selected tootsie pops, over every other candy. Even Reese's and Butterfingers.

(Notice the ax on his back.)

I stayed home and passed out candy with John 3:16 printed on them.